Africa, you’ve had your moment. Sure, elephants and lions are impressive, but have you ever locked eyes with a humpback whale and questioned your entire life existence in the deep blue abyss? Didn’t think so.
Welcome aboard Majestic Whale Encounters, imagine safari meets Atlantis with a generous side of aquatic chaos. They’ve unleashed their own underwater Big Five, starring Humpback Whales, Spinner Dolphins, Orcas, Manta Rays, and False Killer Whales. Move over, Simba, it’s officially time for whales gone wild.
Let’s dive right in with humpback whales in the crystalline waters of Tonga, essentially the ocean’s heavyweight champion karaoke artists. Weighing in at around 40 tons, they’re famous for their spectacular breaches and dramatic tail slaps, putting every diva tantrum you’ve witnessed to shame. Underwater with these show-offs, you’re plunged into the aquatic equivalent of Coachella, minus the overpriced drinks and awkward sunburn. Trust me, when a humpback hits a high note, even Adele sits down and takes notes.
Spinner dolphins are next on the marquee, tearing up the warm waters off the coast of Hawaii. They’re essentially caffeinated toddlers at an aquatic trampoline park. These dolphins spin through the air faster than your hangover hits the morning after a tequila-fuelled beach party. Imagine hundreds of dolphins flipping, twisting, and generally showing off their skills like audition rejects from America’s Got Talent, endlessly entertaining and blissfully unaware of their lunacy.
Orcas, meanwhile, patrol the cooler waters of Norway with all the sophistication yet slight sinister allure of Bond villains. They don’t just swim; they prowl, exuding an aura of sleek, predatory confidence that’s equally terrifying and mesmerising. They might look like oversized aquatic pandas, but don’t let the cute monochrome fool you, these guys mean business. Gliding beside them is like infiltrating an exclusive underwater mafia meeting. Keep your flippers crossed that they appreciate visitors.
For sheer elegance, cue the manta rays, gracefully gliding through Indonesia’s vibrant coral reefs. They’re marine ballet dancers with wingspans that would make Batman jealous. Watching mantas glide effortlessly through the ocean is hypnotic, ethereal, and makes your awkward underwater flailing feel embarrassingly pedestrian. It’s an exquisite dance recital performed by nature’s finest artists, leaving you simultaneously breathless and humbled.
False killer whales round out the spectacle off the pristine shores of Australia, tragically burdened by nature’s worst marketing decision since the platypus. Despite their misnomer (seriously, someone owes these guys an apology), these whales are playful, sociable, and shamelessly inquisitive. Think oversized puppies of the ocean; dark, shiny, and unafraid to invade your personal space, offering judgmental glances at your flippers, wetsuit choices, and questionable snorkelling technique.
So, toss aside your binoculars, squeeze into that wetsuit (good luck), and dive headfirst into this majestic marine madhouse. Majestic Whale Encounters run not just your run-of-the-mill eco-tours; theirs are the ultimate oceanic rollercoaster of adrenaline, awe, and absolute absurdity. Sorry Africa, but this safari’s got whales that dance, dolphins that spin, and villains straight out of a spy movie. Frankly, it’s madness you can’t afford to miss.
This winter, Mt Buller is trading thermals for thrills as renowned hospitality group, Tommy Collins, rolls into town with a culinary snow-storm of Melbourne’s finest. Forget soggy chips at the ski lodge, this is gourmet on the gondola.
Starting on the 5th of June, four weekends of frosty fabulousness will see Melbourne foodie royalty – including Marmont, Entrecôte, and MoVida – turn Villager and Little Villager into snow-dusted stages of decadence. Think five-course feasts with an alpine twist, cocktails with altitude (get it?), and tunes to keep your snow boots tappin’.
But wait, there’s more: après-ski has gone from hot choccy to hot mess (in the best way). Bourke Street (Mt Buller’s own icy catwalk, not the street in Melbourne’s CBD) will host raucous street parties with DJs, snow-side cocktails, and a dance floor that’s sure to warm you up from the inside out.
And to kick it all off, there’s a King’s Birthday Weekend bash with Grant Smillie & Friends that promises pyro performances, surprise eats, and enough canned cocktails to make you forget you’ve still got to ski down (yikes).
Whether you’re a snow bunny, après enthusiast, or just here for the drinks (no judgement here), this is one winter takeover where calories don’t count, style is mandatory, and the weather’s not the only thing that’s cool.
So, dust off your best faux fur, practise your wine-swirl, and prepare to party like you did at your 21st birthday. Because there’s a big bash happening at Buller, and you’re invited.
Strap on your fanciest hiking boots and start Googling ‘how to survive without Wi-Fi, because Australia’s Red Centre is about to serve up the outback adventure of a lifetime.
Tasmanian Walking Company’s brand new Uluru-Kata Tjuta Signature Walk, launching April 30, 2026, is not your average ‘go bush and eat trail mix’ situation. It’s five days and 54 glorious kilometres of expertly guided, fully catered, star-studded wandering through one of the most sacred and stunning landscapes on Earth.
For the ‘modest’ sum of AU$5,395 (twin share), you get more than just epic selfies. We’re talking private eco-campsites nestled inside Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park – a world first. There’s even an architecturally-designed lodge, because nature is better with good lighting and a proper mattress. And your guides are a mixture of David Attenborough and Bear Grylls, with a side of outback humour.
You’ll feast nightly on three-course meals, including one unforgettable dinner while watching Kata Tjuta do its best impression of a glowing ember. Cultural workshops with Anangu Traditional Owners will leave your soul as nourished as your stomach, and AU$500 of your booking goes directly to conservation and community programs, so your conscience gets a holiday too.
Oh, and airfares to Yulara are now live, so there’s really no excuse. Book it, walk it, brag forever. Your next wild story starts here; headlamps, heart-opening moments, and all.
Forget smoky drams in leather chairs and tasting notes that read like a perfume label — Real McCoy is here to blow the cobwebs off your liquor shelf with two new flavours: Salted Caramel and Buttered Popcorn. Yes, you read that right. It’s whiskey, but it tastes like movie night and dessert. At the same time. Incredible.
Launched by VOK Beverages and brewed for chaos (the fun kind), Real McCoy is a whiskey liqueur that’s bold, buttery, and unapologetically unpretentious.
The Salted Caramel version is like a Werther’s Original gone naughty — silky vanilla, toasty caramel, and just enough sea salt to make you wonder why every single piece of candy in the world doesn’t come with a kick. Meanwhile, the Buttered Popcorn flavour is straight out of a cinema snack bar on school holidays — creamy, nostalgic, and suspiciously addictive.
At 30% ABV, both are dangerously sessionable, whether you’re throwing back chilled shots, jazzing up your espresso martini, or just sipping them over ice and giving major main character energy.
This isn’t an alcohol brand that’s asking for permission, and it definitely isn’t trying to impress the whiskey snobs. It’s made for the kind of night that starts with “just one” and ends with karaoke, kitchen dancing, or regrettably texting your ex. And maybe all three (at the same time).
Now available in 700mL bottles and cheeky little 50mL minis. Drink it how you want, but the one thing you can’t call it is subtle.
Two minutes to open, and we saw the silhouette of the queue outside.
The staff were all smiles, but there’s a hum in the air: Is this the calm before the storm? Bluesfest 2025, the gates opened to a crowd that absolutely dwarfed last year’s. The fear of this being the last ever Bluesfest had attracted the third-largest crowd in the festival’s history: 109,000 patrons strong. The sun is blazing down, and the sky a perfect Byron blue. We’re back. And it’s big!
This year, we had the joy of backstage access, and we saw that the buzz was just as much in the artists as it was in the crowd. We witnessed musos cheering each other on from side stage, jumping in for surprise collaborations, and sticking around long after each set just to share the moment. There’s something contagious about that kind of joy, it’s the kind that ripples out from the stage and hits every person in the audience. You can tell when a musician is having an absolute ball on stage.
Almost every Aussie artist shared a personal Bluesfest story; the festival has always been more than just a lineup. It’s a reunion. A celebration. A chance for artists, fans, crews, and families to come together and be part of something bigger than themselves.
Kim Churchill was introduced as the “golden child” of Bluesfest. He first debuted on the busking stage in 2009, and now belts it out to a full crowd on one of the main stages. We saw him everywhere: side of stage at other sets, hopping in to play with Ash Grunwald, vibing with The Beards (big bushy fake beard included), and joining the Pierce Brothers’ incredible set. It became a thread running through the entire weekend. As with so many other musicians, the weekend wasn’t just about playing their own set, it was about coming together and celebrating each other’s music: “Bluesfest has always been my happy place. My musical home. And it’s all the little moments that make it that. All the in between bits of absolute life affirming wholesomeness.”
John Butler told the story of playing Bluesfest twenty years ago. The tent was barely a quarter full, “Then the rain brought everyone in… It was like petrol and fire, and we just exploded!” A crew formed around him after that set and became a family that still rolls with him to this day.
“Music runs through my veins,” said Missy Higgins – her third Bluesfest performance. When Melbourne Ska Orchestra hit the stage, they reminded us that this festival kickstarted their career too, landing them their first-ever record deal. The Cat Empire launched into How to Explain and reminded us why this festival still matters. “Music is the language of us all,” they sang, and the crowd screamed it back. Other highlights included the massive, thousands-strong singalong to Toto’s Africa, Chaka Khan absolutely belting it like it’s 1978, Xavier Rudd grounding us all, before making us jump up and down to Follow The Sun.
Because music really is the language of us all. It’s connection. Especially at a time when we’re all feeling a little disconnected. John Butler, Nicky Bomba, and Xavier Rudd all shared this message. In times like this, it’s important that we find common ground, that we dance and sing together, that we celebrate the good parts of humanity. Live music isn’t just entertainment. It’s culture. It’s connection. It’s sticky floors and shared anthems. It’s strangers hugging in the dark because that one track just hit. It’s a rite of passage for teenagers, a returning pilgrimage for adults, and a heartbeat for regional towns that host these moments of collective joy.
It’s been a rough few years for the Australian live music scene. Fires, floods, and the pandemic delivered blow after blow, cancelling show after show. More recently, its economic woes have quietly and cruelly crushed festivals. Longstanding events, pillars of the Aussie music scene, are falling over like dominoes in a country known for its music and easy-going lifestyle.
These events remind us that we’re not alone. It shakes something loose in us and breaks the routine. Music festivals give us a reason to drive ten hours, to camp in the rain, to throw our arms around strangers and scream the lyrics until we lose our voices, and to volunteer days of work just to dance in front of the front row when Hilltop Hoods perform The Nosebleed Section.
So, here’s to the venues still opening their doors. To the events rolling the dice, the staff and vollies holding it all together, and to the artists playing their guts out. We need live music now more than ever. And thank goodness: Bluesfest isn’t done yet.
Sick of “holidays” where you lie by a pool pretending you’re not still checking work emails? Enter Desert Island Survival’s newest experience in the Maldives where the only infinity pool in sight is the ocean, and the Wi-Fi password is “how ‘bout you build your own fire.”
Let’s get one thing straight, this isn’t a relaxing holiday. Yes, you’ll spend 11 glorious days in a paradise people regularly dream about (just me?), bu you’ll also spend the same 11 glorious days learning how to do stuff you never thought you’d need, like making fires without a lighter, catching your dinner without crying, and building a shelter that doesn’t look like a sad blanket fort from your childhood.
But your first five day is strictly for training. You’ll learn jungle hacks from actual survival experts, then the real fun begins. You’re dropped off on another uninhabited island, sans guide, with only your newly acquired skills, a few supplies, and a can-do (read: mildly panicked) attitude.
Unlike every other sanitised, over-curated “adventure tour,” this one strips away all the comfortable fluff. No buffets. No butlers. Just you, your hammock (if you’re lucky), and your rapidly improving ability to open coconuts without chopping off a finger.
You may ask, “Why would I do this?”, and the answer’s pretty obvious. Because it’s the antidote to your screen-addicted, city-soft, soy-latte life (ouch). You’ll come back with calloused hands, crazy stories, and a weird pride in your ability to identify edible roots.
Fiji’s newest national initiative is basically a love letter to the planet, written in biodegradable ink, of course. It’s called Lolomo Hour and it’s doing great things for the environment. But first, a bit of background info.
Loloma means love in Fijian, and honestly, if love were a happy hour, it would look a lot like this: a chance to give back to the islands we so often take from (minus the hangover, inflated bar tab, or cringey karaoke).
Their idea is simple: take an hour out of your holiday to do something good for the environment, the community, or the culture. In return? You get a soul cleanse with a side of smug satisfaction. That’s the kind of shot we can all handle.
Created by the legends at Tourism Fiji, Loloma Hour is the world’s first environmental happy hour (move over espresso martinis), and it’s rolling out across resorts, hotels, and dive boats faster than a coconut can fall on your head. Their goal is to rack up 5,000 hours of guest-led goodness in the first year. That’s 300,000 minutes of reef planting, litter collecting, and cultural immersion.
The initiative is built on four very noble pillars: giving back to wildlife, giving back to the community, giving back to the reef, and giving back to the coastline. Which roughly translates to ‘pat an iguana, chat to a village elder, rehome some coral, and pick up someone else’s beer can without grumbling’.
One day you’re sipping something tropical on the deck of the Seventh Heaven floating bar, the next you’re knee-deep in coral fragments at their reef rehabilitation program. Maybe you’re weaving mats with local women at Sofitel’s Culture Hour, or cruising with sharks off Barefoot Kuata Island in a citizen-science shark dive. At Viani Bay Resort, you can even get up close with giant clams, nature’s answer to the big-budget action star.
Some resorts go all in, like Likuliku Lagoon’s Fiji Crested Iguana Conservation Program (adorable lizard alert) or Six Senses Fiji with their coral nursery that’s basically an underwater botanical garden for Nemo’s cousins. Meanwhile, over at InterContinental Fiji, you can literally trade beach trash for a latte. That’s right, Litter for a Latte may be the best incentive ever invented for tidying up.
The beauty of Loloma Hour is that it doesn’t feel like an obligation. There’s no guilt-trip, no plastic pledge, no sob stories playing on loop. It’s just you, some sunshine, and a little slice of feel-good action. Like going to the gym and discovering it serves fresh coconut water, and thanks you personally for attending.
The best part? You don’t need to be a marine biologist or a UN diplomat to get involved. You just need an hour. And, ideally, a strong sunscreen.
Melbourne just got a little greener and a lot more fabulous. Enter 1 Hotel Melbourne: a sustainably sexy new stay perched on the Yarra River that proves you can save the planet and sip boutique wine at the same time.
This isn’t your average “we swapped plastic straws for paper” kind of eco-hotel. No, 1 Hotel is full-blown tree-hugger chic with floor-to-ceiling windows, 2,000+ plants, and interiors made from reclaimed everything including timber from old rail bridges and moss panels (whatever they are).
Rooms are calm, gorgeous sanctuaries with views of the river or skyline, plus Bamford spa products so fancy you’ll seriously ‘consider’ smuggling them home. There’s also a gym, steam room, spa, sauna, and a pool that practically begs you to put it on your Instagram story.
And there’s plenty of good food. The signature restaurant (mystery chef pending) will hero local farmers, fishers, and seasonal produce, while the grab-and-go café dishes out organic bites you’ll pretend are for “later.” Over in the lobby bar, they’re shaking up foraged cocktails so delicious you won’t care what’s in them.
Sustainably built, stylishly executed, and smugly satisfying; 1 Hotel Melbourne is where eco-cred meets indulgent escape. So, what are you waiting for?
Move over, Sir David Attenborough, there’s a new eco-icon in town, and it’s made entirely of coral. That’s right, the Great Barrier Reef is up for a United Nations Lifetime Achievement Award – the first non-human nominee ever. And frankly? It’s about time.
With 10,000 years of being fabulous, biodiverse, and biologically generous, the reef has been mentoring marine life, inspiring millions of travellers, and keeping it real for generations of fish, First Nations communities, and curious snorkellers. According to the team behind the nomination (Reef Guardian Councils, Traditional Owners, marine biologists, and a bunch of wide-eyed school kids from Reef Guardian Schools), the reef isn’t just a pretty face, it’s a healer, a teacher, and a full-blown environmental influencer.
To help the nomination along, A Lifetime of Greatness Project campaign was created, asking the world to get behind the Reef and celebrate it like the living, breathing legend it is. The submission video even features Master Reef Guides (yes, that’s a real job title) and local students fan-girling about plankton and biodiversity. Cute and educational.
And the best is that the nomination cleverly uses the UN’s own rulebook, arguing that the reef qualifies as a “living individual” because UNESCO said it’s a “distinct entity.” It’s a bold move and we love to see it.
So, if you’ve ever swum over this natural wonder and thought, “wow, this thing is really beautiful,” now’s your chance to show it the love it really deserves. Head to A Lifetime of Greatness to get involved because not all heroes wear capes, some are actually covered in clownfish.
Redefine your idea of ‘roughing it’ by treating yourself to a stay at Wilderluxe’s newest opening, Wilderluxe Lake Keepit. Nestled on the sparkling shores of, you guessed it, Lake Keepit in New South Wales, this premium property promises a next-level escape; a place where natures meets a touch of decadence.
Forget battling zippers on tiny tents – here, it’s all about luxurious safari-style accommodation equipped with plush king-sized beds, stylish ensuite bathrooms, and panoramic views of the lake (sans monster).
While away the hours in one of eight Star Tents, or in a private guest lounge, with a locally sourced cheese platter on the table beside you and a glass of Hunter Valley’s finest in hand. Kangaroos might even grace you with their presence, hopping right by your private deck as if you’re David Attenborough and they’re auditioning for a part in your upcoming nature documentary.
If adventure is what gets you going, Wilderluxe offers paddle boarding, kayaking, gravel riding, fishing, access to hiking trails and stargazing – ain’t no city smog in these rural parts.
As if that wasn’t enough to convince you to put your name down for an inaugural stay, Wilderluxe is also passionate about sustainability. Every inch of the site has been designed with eco-consciousness in mind. Solar power, rainwater harvesting, and zero-waste initiatives make your stay as kind to the planet as it is to your Insta feed.
And you just have to participate in The Experience: a communal feast full of a carefully curated selection of local food and refreshments before Uncle Len Waters looks to the night sky to uncover a few magical Aboriginal stories. We’ll see you there.
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